Body-bolster for cars



No. 624,174. Patented May 2, |s99.

J. .1. CASEY & H. Pmrzs.`

BODY BULSTER FUR CARS.

(Applieaeion med one. 1'7, `1:39a.)

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NTTED STATES PATENT Erica.

JOHN J. CASEY AND HERMAN PRIES, OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA.

BODY-BOLSTER FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 624,174, dated May 2, 1899.

Application led October 17,1898. Serial No. 693,748. (No model.)

Our invention relates to a novel construc-A tion in a body-bolster for cars, the object being to provideacheap and rigid device of this character which will bear great strain without sagging at its ends and permit of drafttimbers extending through and beyond theA bodyebolster; and it consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating our invention, Figure lis a top plan View of a body-bolster constructed in accordance withourinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the floor Aof a car, showing our bolster in side elevation.- Fig. 3 is a'sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isasectionalview on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

To various carbody-bolsters now in general use there are numerous objections, which we have overcome in our present construction. In the iirst place such holsters lack suiiicient strength and rigidity in the compression members, so that after they have been in use for some time they sag at the ends, thereby bringing the side bearings on the body and truck bolstrs, respectively, into close contact and causing the Weight to bear thereon instead of upon the center plates. This is extremely objectionable, for the reason that the truck is hindered from turning freely in rounding curves and again incoming upon straight track, thus holdin g theiianges of the wheels at an acute angle to the rails and causing them to wear. This not only7 exposes the iianges and the rails to great wear, but also increases friction to such an extent as to greatly increase the load on the motive power. Another objection to many body-holsters is that their construction does not permit of the use of draft-timbers extending through and beyond body-holsters7 using short draft-timbers/"extending only to body-holstersV and nin no manner assisting the center sills to bear the strains; but, on the contrary, such drafttimbers act as levers to break the centersills.

To overcome these and other objections and provide a cheap and rigid body-bolster, we construct the latter of a bar A, which forms the tension member and is provided with abutting stops ct and l, riveted or welded to the tension member A. The end portions of compression members B and E are secured to said tension member A by means of bolts or rivets'(bolts preferred) and abut against said stops ct and l, respectively. Said com pression member E consists, preferably, of a Wrought-iron bar inclinedbetween its iniddle and end portions, so as to leave a space C between its middle portion and the tension member A to receive the draft-timbers D. The additional space at C may be filled with metal or wood. The second com pression member B is placed at its middle portion, immediately under compression member E, and forms a seat for compression member E and is similar in form to the latter. The end portions of member B are secured to tension member A with bolts or rivets, preferably bolts. Struts F are interposed between the members B and E at the end portion of the latter, and struts G are interposed between members A and B at points slightly beyond the ends of member E. Stops l l interpose between the end of said member E and said strut G to prevent shearing strains on bolts or rivets used in securing said parts. Struts 2 are interposed between the members A and E adjacent to the connection of the latter with the former. Said strut 2 serves to prevent bending at this point. l

By means of our construction the compression members can be readily taken down, and thus the draft timbers can be removed and replaced without difficulty. This is obviously very advantageous.

The center plate 3 is mounted on the lower face of the member Bat its middle portion and engages the center bearing on the truckbolster 4. The side bearingplates 5 are mounted upon the lower face ot' the member B at points below the plates l and are adapted to rest upon the side bearings 6 of the bolster 4 when the car-bod y lurches.

Our bolster is extremely rigid, being effectually braced and strengthened at all points of greatest strain. By means of such rigidity t the side bearings on body-bolster are always pression member being secured at its ends to said tension member at points about midway between the middle and ends of the latter, and inclined downwardly from its ends to its middle portion, thereby providing` a space between its middle portion and said tension member for the passage of the draft-beams, said outer compression member supporting said inner member at its middle portion and secured at its ends directly to the end portions of said tension member, by means of bolts passing through the ends of both said members, independent stops 0n said tension me1n ber against which the ends of said compression members abut respectively, whereby the thrust on the tension member is distributed and the latter braced between its middle and end portions, and struts interposed between the end portions of said inner compression member and the adjacent portion of said outer compression member, and between the latter and said tension member.

In testimony whereof we attiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. CASEY. HERMAN PRIES.

Witnesses:

WALTER J. OGDEN, ALLEN SAMMoNs. 

